Plan of Study

After you complete your first full semester with us as an online student, you will be asked to develop your Plan of Study. All online students are required to have an approved plan of study in order to graduate from Purdue.

The Plan of Study is a valuable  tool to ensuring you have effectively mapped out the courses you'll take throughout your learning experience.  The plan must be approved adhering to departmental and Graduate school policies serving as an academic contract between you, our advisory committee, and Purdue University's Graduate School.  You will work with an academic adviser during the plan approval process.

How to Complete Your Electronic Plan of Study (ePOS)

Completing your Plan of Study is a simple process, and involves using our electronic Plan of Study Generator.

To access the Plan of Study Generator:

  • Log in to your myPurdue account.
  • Click on the Academic tab.
  • Click on Graduate School Plan of Study.
  • Click on Plan of Study Generator.
  • Click on Create New Plan of Study.

There are Help buttons located on each page to assist you, and you can save a draft of your Plan of Study if you want to finish it at another time. 

How to Submit Your Plan of Study

Once you've completed your Plan of Study, there are a number of steps to take in order to submit it and have it approved by our advisory committee.

  • First submit your Plan of Study as a Draft, so it can be edited per the recommendations of the advisory committee.
  • You'll communicate with the advisory committee throughout the process to ensure they understand your goals, and that you are adhering to the necessary policies related to the Plan of Study.
  • Once you've received a verbal approval of your Plan of Study, return to the Plan of Study Generator and submit it as Final.
  • After your Plan of Study has been submitted as Final and approved, it will be signed by the departmental coordinator, advisory committee members, the department head, and the Graduate School.

Remember, while the electronic Plan of Study Generator is convenient, it doesn't eliminate the need for you to personally communicate with the advisory committee throughout the process.

When to Submit Your Plan of Study

You'll need to submit your Plan of Study by the end of the semester you were admitted as a degree-seeking student. For specific deadline dates, refer to your acceptance letter or contact the department you are admitted to.

After Your Plan of Study is Approved

When your Plan of Study has been approved, you'll receive an email notification. From there, you'll want to review your Plan of Study each semester to make sure you're progressing through the program appropriately and according to plan. Changes can be made to your approved Plan of Study, and may be necessary if your skills or interests change, a new course becomes available that you want to take, or a life event requires you to change your course load.